Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Pyongyang on Wednesday to hold talks with his counterpart, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, will likely pose hurdles on China's diplomatic front regardless of the outcome of the meeting, according to reports and observers closely watching the rare encounter between the leaders of the two isolated regimes. Experts in Seoul, prior to the summit in North Korea, said that the talks between Putin and Kim would weaken China's influence on Nort

Politics June 19, 2024

South Korea's Cabinet approved a bill Tuesday to reward employees taking up the duties of coworkers who work reduced hours for child care with government subsidies. Effective on July 1, the revision will allow the government to make up for the employers' compensation to employees who handled the tasks of co-workers who, for example, leave the workplace early for child care purposes. Moreover, parents of young children who work two hours fewer than the regular working hours every day in

Social Affairs June 18, 2024

Thousands of doctors affiliated with the largest coalition of neighborhood practitioners in South Korea launched a full-scale, one-day strike on Tuesday, despite the government's return-to-work order and threat to disband the organization. The Korean Medical Association, representing some 140,000 doctors, mostly self-employed practitioners, pleaded to the public that it is the "last chance" to salvage the nation's health care from the brink of collapse. Some 50,000 people wer

Social Affairs June 18, 2024

Seoul has warned Moscow against "going beyond a certain point," amid reports that Russia and North Korea are seeking to deepen their military ties during President Vladimir Putin's imminent visit to Pyongyang. National Security Adviser Chang Ho-jin told Yonhap News TV on Sunday evening that Seoul has "cautioned his Russian counterpart that Russia should not go beyond a certain point." "Our intelligence suggests that there is room for (Russia and North Korea) to adop

Politics June 17, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol returned home Sunday after a weeklong trip to three Central Asian countries amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula with an imminent summit between the leaders of Russia and North Korea in Pyongyang this week, which has sparked concerns about closer military ties. Amid reports on Putin's visit to North Korea, the first in 24 years, Yoon's office on Friday officially "confirmed" his visit, stressing that it would closely examine countermeasures to

Politics June 16, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol returned to Seoul early Sunday morning as the couple wrapped up the state visits to three Central Asian countries. Yoon on Saturday flew from the ancient city of Samarkand, about 270 kilometers southwest of Uzbekistan's capital city Tashkent, for his final engagement with his counterpart, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Mirziyoyev formerly served as the governor of the Samarkand region from 2001 to 2003. They visited historical sites that used to be the center of

Politics June 16, 2024

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan -- President Yoon Suk Yeol visited ancient city of Samarkand before wrapping up the state visits to three Central Asian countries, according to the presidential office on Saturday. Flying about 270 kilometers southwest of Uzbekistan's capital city Tashkent, Yoon and his counterpart, Uzbek President President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, visited historic sites of what served as the center of the Timurid Empire in the 14th century, such as a public square Registan and Gur-e-Amir,

Politics June 15, 2024

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- South Korea, the United States and Japan will join forces to analyze the process and the outcome of Russian President Vladimir Putin's upcoming visit to North Korea for the first time in 24 years. According to an official of the presidential office who spoke on condition of anonymity, South Korea will "together analyze the process and the outcome" of Putin's visit to Pyongyang to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in line with its "close and frequent com

Politics June 14, 2024

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- President Yoon Suk Yeol and his Uzbek counterpart, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, held a summit Friday to bolster their "special strategic partnership" in fields not limited to infrastructure and mineral resources. Notably, with the two leaders present at the Kuksaroy Presidential Palace in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, South Korea-based heavy industry firm Hyundai Rotem and state-run Uzbekistan Railways signed a 270 billion won ($195.7 million) deal to export South Kore

Politics June 14, 2024

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- President Yoon Suk Yeol's family will adopt two Alabay breed shepherd dogs on Tuesday, as promised by Turkmenistan's national leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov during their bilateral talks earlier this week, according to his office Friday. Following quarantine, the two Turkmen dogs will spend time on the front lawn of the presidential office in Seoul "as much as they want" and enter the presidential residence, according to Yoon's office. The Alabay dogs, an anci

Politics June 14, 2024

ASTANA, Kazakhstan/SEOUL -- The South Korean presidential office said that Russian President Vladimir Putin will make his first visit to North Korea in 24 years, widely interpreted by observers as a key moment to bolster military and security cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and other shifting geopolitical dynamics. "President Putin's visit to North Korea will take place in a few days," a senior South Korean presidential official confirmed t

Foreign Affairs June 13, 2024

ASTANA, Kazakhstan -- President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee were again spotted with dogs during their trip to Central Asian countries, highlighting the president and his spouse's love for pets. On Wednesday evening, Yoon and Kim encountered three dogs raised by Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, as the couple made their way into a special exhibition and stage performances at the Kalibek Kuanyshbaev Kazakh Musical and Drama Theater in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. Sout

Politics June 13, 2024

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to meet Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev Friday in the final leg of his Central Asia trip. Yoon last met Mirziyoyev in September last year on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in the United States. Yoon is expected to work to ensure the stable supply of critical minerals from Uzbekistan, open ways for South Korean construction firms to join more Uzbek projects, and boost bilateral cooperation in the fields of health care

Politics June 13, 2024

ASTANA, Kazakhstan -- The presidential office on Wednesday revealed plans to add nonstop flights between South Korea's port city of Incheon and cities of Kazakhstan, namely the capital city of Astana and its most populous city, Almaty. Park Chun-sup, senior presidential secretary for economic affairs, told reporters in a briefing that South Korean budget carrier T'way Air is poised to start operating direct flights between Incheon and Astana soon, two or three times a week. Also, anoth

Politics June 12, 2024

ASTANA, Kazakhstan -- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his Kazakh counterpart President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev agreed Wednesday to strengthen bilateral cooperation in critical minerals exploration and development. The presidential office said this would bolster the bilateral strategic partnership between the two nations, with his state visit to Kazakhstan marking the first by a South Korean leader in five years. During the summit of Yoon and Tokayev in Astana, the capital city of Kazakh

Politics June 12, 2024